Former Proteas fast bowler Morne Morkel will play for the Brisbane Heat during the 2020-21 Big Bash League.
Morkel's contract with Surrey in English county cricket ended recently. He has Australian citizenship.
“I am still enjoying my cricket enormously and the chance to be part of the Heat squad is something I am keen to experience,” he said.
“I admit it will be a bit unusual to call myself a local, but we are enjoying living and working here and this is another aspect of our lives that I am looking forward to being a part of.”
Morkel took more than 500 wickets during a 12-year international career that spanned 86 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is. He also played in other domestic T20 tournaments, including the Indian Premier League and Caribbean Premier League.
“I saw a line from Dan Christian the other day that ‘old blokes win stuff' and while I am in no way putting Morne in the ‘old' category like ‘Christian' certainly is, we believe his experience with bowling in different conditions is invaluable and will be beneficial to the squad,” added Heat head coach Darren Lehmann.
“Anyone who has played or coached with him or against him will happily attest that he is a champion person. On the international front, I consider his best bowling efforts came as he got older. His control and skill with the ball were his trademarks so it will be great to introduce him into our group.”
Thunder Recruit Billings
Meanwhile, England batsman Sam Billings has joined the Sydney Thunder for this season's BBL. Fellow England stars Jos Buttler and Joe Root have played for the Thunder in the past.
“Jos and Joe Root are two good mates of mine who represented Thunder, so I picked their brains about the set-up; everything I could think of. Neither had a bad word – all they could tell me was it's a great franchise, and wonderful to be a part of,” said Billings.
The 2020-21 BBL will start on 10 December.
Several other stars from abroad will be involved in the tournament, including Afghanistan duo Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi. Khan and Nabi are currently with the Sunrisers Hyderabad for the IPL 2020.